Case series of 343 DRC soldiers finds infection in 84.2% of amputations

A descriptive case series of 343 soldiers with war-related limb amputations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found that lower limbs were affected in 62.4% of cases and infection was observed in 84.2%. The cases were drawn from three defence zones and covered the period from August 2022 to August 2025. Firearm injuries were the leading mechanism of amputation, according to the study’s abstract.

The military personnel included in the case series had a mean age of 34 years, with a standard deviation of eight years. The 18–30 age group was the largest, representing 47.2% of cases. The sample was almost entirely male: 341 participants, or 99.1%, were men, while three, or 0.9%, were women.

Ground-force units accounted for 96.2% of the selected soldiers. Researchers collected information from administrative and medical records and analyzed it using STATA version 18. The study described the age, sex, service affiliation, anatomical location, amputation level, injury mechanism and post-amputation complications represented in the records.

Because the research was a descriptive case series rather than a population-wide analysis, the reported percentages describe the 343 selected cases and should not be interpreted as rates among all soldiers or all military personnel in the country. Lower limbs were affected in 62.4% of cases, while upper limbs were affected in 37.6%. Within the lower-limb cases, transtibial amputations accounted for 58.9%.

Among upper-limb cases, transhumeral amputations represented 70.0%. These results identify the location and level of limb loss in the analyzed group, rather than establishing the pattern for every soldier injured during armed conflict in the DRC. The authors said the findings reveal a high burden of post-amputation complications and underscore the need to strengthen the continuum of trauma care.

They identified prevention, evacuation, surgical management, rehabilitation and trauma surveillance as components of that continuum. The study therefore documents a concentrated pattern of war-related limb loss and frequent infection among the soldiers included in the case series, while its scope remains limited to cases managed in three defence zones and to the information contained in administrative and medical records.

Subject of Research: Descriptive epidemiology of war-related limb amputations among soldiers in three defence zones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Article Title: War-related limb amputations among soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a descriptive case series study

Article References: Serge, M. V., Aspro, M. M., Gilbert, K. K., Reagan, P., & Luc, M. B. (2026). War-related limb amputations among soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a descriptive case series study. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29803-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29803-x

Keywords: war-related amputation, military health, Democratic Republic of the Congo, case series, lower-limb amputation, post-amputation infection, firearm injuries, trauma care, rehabilitation, public health, War-related, limb